Pop Graduates: Acts That Made the Leap From the Teen Scene to Grown-Up Rock

Rick Springfield

Early Schooling: A musician long before he was a daytime TV doctor, Springfield sailed up the pop charts with the still-inescapable "Jessie's Girl," the kind of spunky FM hit that makes and kills careers within the space of three minutes.
Turning Point: 1999's Karma, where Springfield acts his age and turns in surprisingly adroit pop performances, showcasing the kind of songwriting chops that would eventually make him a favorite on the touring circuit and amass for him a quiet but loyal cadre of fans.
Post-Graduate Work: Springfield is still recording; his latest album, My Precious Little One is a spare and gentle collection of children's songs. After all, what do you think happens to Jessie's girl about nine months after she's done loving him with that body?

Christina Aguilera

Early Schooling: Another ex-Mouseketeer, Aguilera excited Craigslist enthusiasts everywhere by encouraging them to "rub her the right way."
Turning Point: Though it received more bad reviews than Land of the Lost, Stripped was Aguilera's coming out party, a brash, brave and bold (if overlong) statement of character that proved she was going to follow her own stubborn muse — consequences be damned.
Post-Graduate Work: Flipping a demure finger to everyone who cattily wrote her off as talentless trash, Aguilera has gradually emerged as one of the finest singers of our generation, barnstorming her way through the underrated old-school R&B album Back to Basics and turning in a performance of "I Love You Porgy" — her choice! — on the 2008 Grammy Nominations special that should silence all doubters through the next decade.